Battery Help

I have been using the GT lately, but as it was a nice day, decided to take the roadster out.
No power, so I jumped it and it ran fine. As soon as I turned it off....no power; no start
I jumped it again and put it away.
Could it be anything other than the battery?
Do i need a new one, and if so, which is best?
R

Depends how long you ran it and if it is chargng.

A short run will do nothing for a dead battery.

Put a charger on the battery until full, then see how it goes. It's probably just drained.

Check the fluid level and top up with distilled water. Then give it a slow overnight charge maybe 2 amps. If you have a battery load tester, or can borrow one, that will tell you where the battery is, life-wise....

Thanks much.
I will put it on a charger and see.
I drove for about 30 minutes and everything was fine. I then turned it off and it was dead as a dodo!

The should Be a stamp on the side of the battery with numbers on it. It gives the month and year of the batteries manufacture date. if the battery is over three years old it might be time for a new one.

Robin

This is a fun game with this car. We have all played it several times if we have owned one more that 20 years.

As Steve said charge the battery. But, first check the cells and top up with distilled water.

Then take all the terminals off the battery/s. Clean the connectors and the posts with the cheapo battery terminal cleaner brush from the local discount auto store.

Then put it back together. Wiggle the wire terminals a lot to be sure they are tight. They can be damaged under the bolt/bracket that holds the wire to the terminal.

See if the battery has a date on it. Anything over 5 years old is suspect. Charge the battery overnight.

Take a voltage reading anywhere handy and start the car. Then check the voltage with the car running.
Check the battery voltage the next day.

I bet on dirty battery terminals.

26R is the Autozone Duralast battery for positive ground cars. 26 size for negative ground. I do not think this is your problem.

Robin:

When having drained battery problems, it's nice to know for sure your charging system is not at fault. One easy way to check your charging system is to disconnect the battery while the car is running (pull off a terminal clamp right after jumping the car to life). If it quits, your charging system is at fault.

Good luck.

Robert

[

quote=tomkatb]
Robin


26R is the Autozone Duralast battery for positive ground cars. 26 size for negative ground. I do not think this is your problem.[/quote]

Why different batteries for positive versus negative ground cars? Location of the terminals?

Yes. 26/26R 12 volt.

However in my old car it would have worked with either one. My cables are sort of long.



I do not think your issue is battery. Running fine but, not starting is common. Do the lights work? Often with dirty cables the lights will work but the starter will not. Not always. The routine i described takes 15 minute to treat the terminals and then overnight on the charger then you will know for sure.

Is the battery old. Mine typically last 7+ years.

Ditto the above, but I don't know about pulling off a terminal when the car is running. If its one thing I have found about my B that at time frustrates me, its the battery. The terminals have to be cleaned regularly, and checking the cables for corrosion is a good idea as well. Trickle charging the battery with the caps off and cells filled overnight is the way to go. Be careful about overtightening the clamps, as doing so cracked the case on my old 6 volt battery. Wound up going with a Die-Hard 12V and have not looked back since. Also, while your at it remember the connections to the starter. The leads there can be loose and cause a no start when all else checks out. Sound battery maintenance is one of my pet peeves with this car, especially since it is driven so little.

one word........BatteryMinder......thebatteryminder.com.........get one.